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good bivy sack, good sleeping bag and good therm-a-rest and all you need is a camo tarp, spent 2 months using this last fall, if you count the bikes as poles it increases the cost of the setup significantly

To continue this great thread. I'm also searching for a tent, but am curious how all of you load the tent on. I'm assuming crosswise on the pilon, or in a saddlebag for the smaller tents, but I'm curious. Also, I keep seeing reference to Helen2Wheels packing system. How many of you have it? Also, which bags did you get, and in what sizes? I tried to send her an email asking a few questions, but got no response.

- Some say the glass is half empty, some say the glass is half full, I say, are you going to drink that? - Lisa Clayman
- A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain. --Robert Frost

To continue this great thread. I'm also searching for a tent, but am curious how all of you load the tent on. I'm assuming crosswise on the pilon, or in a saddlebag for the smaller tents, but I'm curious. Also, I keep seeing reference to Helen2Wheels packing system. How many of you have it? Also, which bags did you get, and in what sizes? I tried to send her an email asking a few questions, but got no response.

I purchased a boat bag, waterproof bag really, from the local sporting goods store and strap it across the seat. All of my camping gear goes into that bag. I can get the tent, the chair, the sleeping bag, the thermarest pad, the humidor, and of course the Appletini Assembly Tools in there. A H2W would probably work better and take less space, but I am frugal.

Also once I get to the site or get home, I only have one bag that has all the necessary parts to setup camp. Also some of the tents have great packing solutions on their own, like the REI/Sierra Design Taj 3 that I have even has tie down straps on the bag already.

Also, I keep seeing reference to Helen2Wheels packing system. How many of you have it? Also, which bags did you get, and in what sizes? I tried to send her an email asking a few questions, but got no response.

Thats what I do on my R1100R. Got the H2W bag after almost loosing a tent in the slippery nylon bag once. The material and loops on the H2W bag prevent it slipping off. Use a couple of straps and not bungies. I also stay away from snap buckles as they can unbuckle too easily. She is probably on the road selling at rallies. Leave an email and someone will get back to you.

Originally Posted by BradfordBenn

I purchased a boat bag, waterproof bag really, from the local sporting goods store and strap it across the seat. All of my camping gear goes into that bag. I only have one bag that has all the necessary parts to setup camp.

I prefer the 2 bag method. Stuff that I want to keep dry - sleeping bag, pillow, thermarest go in a waterproof bag. Stuff that may already be wet - tent, fly, ground cloth go in another bag, not water tight. That's the H2W method.

I have the Taj 3 that Brad mentioned. I put the poles in the H2W bag- without them, the tent bag can be fit into a hardbag. The H2W bag (which I've only been using since April) seems to work really well and also swallows the sleeping pad and bag and clothing. Everything else is kind of a random fit in the hardbags or maybe the tankbag, depending on my attire (the tankbag is full of rain gear if I'm in the mesh suit). I used to use a big square Tour Mater tankbag left over from my old K100 as a tail bag, but with the H2W bag I have much more packing space and no longer need it.

2 C worth

I did a lot of looking and ended up with a Aspen series Eureka tent made for Galians. Fits two and is easy to setup. I also found a differential sleeping bag. One side is warmer than the other. On warm nights I sleep with the thick side down. The only problem with the bag is that it is a little bulky. A compression sack helps a little.

Has anyone tried a MSR tent ?

Tents...

Originally Posted by WillieP

I have owned the same Eureka Timberline tent for 25 years. I have camped in this tent in some of the worst weather imaginable. On one occation this tent withstood a 60 mph wind and rain and kept everything completely dry. The Timberline is a fantastic tent.

I had a Timberline, but switched to the Alpenlite and it's a great tent. I had an advantage since I am originally from Binghamton, NY and that's where they make Eureka tents.... It's supposed to be a 2nd but after almost 8 years I still haven't found the "flaw". I don't know that you can do better for a 4 season solo trip than that.

The Norh Face

Almost All of my camping gear is from The North Face. My sleeping bag in the winter is a North Face Cat's Meow -10, and a Backside (I forget the model name) in the summer. My tent is a North Face tadpole solo tent. The tent is really light and has only 3 poles. I carry all of my camping gear in a North Face Box Boy Duffle Wolfe Trapped on top of my Mags Bags Adventure Small bag.

BTW- I heard but have not verified that Coleman makes a lesser tent for Walmart...

I can't speak about Coleman products, but I can tell you that the Paula Dean cookware for Walmart is a different grade than you find at other retailers. A rep from the manufacturer, Meyer Corp., told me about five years ago that the Walmart version is made to a lower price point that the normal product.

About sleeping bags, the North Face Cat's Meow is a fine product. Although it is a little narrow if you like lots of leg room. Overall, a great bag for the money. Buddy of mine swears by his.

Camping Stuff

I'm currently using a Cabela's XPG Deluxe 4-Person tent and it's the best tent I've ever owned. Plenty of room for
one person and all of your gear and would work the same with two people as well. Usually when they rate the number
of people for a tent the people they are figuring on putting in the tents must be midgets. The Cabela's tent is roomy and
packs up reasonably small, easy to set up and absolutely waterproof, it's never leaked....not once. If you watch the
Cabela's flyers closely you can get one when they are on sale which is what I did and saved a pile of money on a great tent.
Well look at this...........it's on sale now!http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/produ...3-001b2166becc

The other thing that makes tent camping really comfortable is a luxurylite cot, I stopped sleeping on the ground ten years ago and have been
through a couple of cots, this is the best.......not cheap, but the lightest, smallest packing and most comfortable ever, I use this with a
Thermarest NeoAir mattress and it's as good or better than sleeping in my bed at home. Apparently the original company that made these cots
in Texas sold their patent to Thermarest and now these are available in more places, including Cabelas. Great product, I love mine.

Camping is great when you're comfortable, dry and sleep well. These products are a significant investment in that, but I've been using this gear for several
years and it's never failed to perform perfectly. If you are not sure you want to do this, I'd recommend the Sherpa Service at the national and
let Ted do the work for you and enjoy not hauling any gear at all. Let me add that I don't work for Cabela's or have any financial interest in their company.
Good luck with your choice.

Go to your local Wal-Mart and check out their Coleman tents. I've had mine now for three years or so and it does a great job. It should be pretty cheap. At Charleston when all of the North Face and Eureka tents were busting their poles in the tornado, the only damage I had was a wet sleeping bag because I hadn't zipped my flap up. Wal-Mart should also have the other stuff that you need as well at reasonable prices. If you find that you enjoy the whole camping thing, then you can start to spend some of the big bucks on stuff.

+1 !

Given the parameters you set for what you want, vs. higher-priced stuff that may very well be high-quality but overkill for what your needs are, Garth makes an excellent suggestion.

If you will be camping out where rain and/or heavy dew is common a double wall tent will keep you dry and comfortable. A "bathtub floor and foot print" for your tent are a neccessity in the wet. My inexpensive Coleman dome tent was easy to erect and had great ventilation. A Northface 2 man tent packed small, was easy to erect, and really had room just for me. A Catoma Switchback was easy to erect, had 2 vestibules and room for 2 with a lot of gear. Now that I'm past 70 years of age I purchased a Redverz tent that allows me to stand up inside, is easy to erect, packs smaller than the Catoma (22"x9"x9") and has a vestibule that you can park your bike in. The Catoma cost roughly $240 and the Redvarz about $550 but the quality of both is first rate. 4 season tents like Hillenberg cost more but as the saying goes "you get what you pay for" in top of the line outdoor gear. There is a vendor at our International Rallies, (Sherpa) that provides tent, sleeping gear, plus hot coffee. Everything is ready for you and you are among others that simply want to enjoy the rally and not be bothered with packing, carrying, and erecting a tent and other equipment. To get ready for summer and traveling/camping by motorcycle I usually camp out at Daytona during bike week. This allows me to make sure that my camping gear is ready for the riding/rally season.
RIDE SAFE

Past 70:),Camping.

I like these stories of elder bikers using the camping lifestyle still. I'm just past 60 and camp nearly everywhere i go still, hoping to continue way into Seniorism. Probably my best tent is my solo REI Tadpole(20+ years) design for ease of everything and small. Its a tad harder now getting in and out of it, but I still use it on solo adventures. My second is Eureka Ive had for 20+ years and still very worthy, not worn out. Wife and I use this and its not a big tent either, so crawling in/out and dressing on your back or sitting is still our choice. Only trouble with bigger tents we found is in cold weather, they DO NOT warm up inside, where smaller tents do with body heat. All aluminum poles, the best, toughest. Had a tent lie down on me once in a tornado force winds, rain in Wyoming Summer. It had cheaper aluminum poles that did not hold up, bent. Still have it, but not used anymore. I wont bother naming it, as its a popular tent many have. Been to a few BMW National rallies with winds that broke dozens, dozens of tents. Gillette, Lima, Spokane are a few to mention. Had to be there to see it. Randy